Mechanism for ordnance



(No Model.) 3 Shets-Sheet 1.

, O. F. LEIBERT. BRBEGH MEGHANISM FOR ORDNANCE.

No. 516,768. Patented Mar. 20, 1894.

8 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

. 0. P. LEIBBRT. BREEGH MECHANISM FOR DRDNANGE.

No. 516,768. Patented Mar. 20, 1894.

1 i I ig-mi k 3 Sheets-Shed 3.

(No Model.)

0. P. LEIBERT. BBEEGH MECHANISM FOR OBDNANGE.

Patented Mar. 20, 1894.

zzon or. ills United ntrnoisnre, positive in means known to li ii'rnnr F; LEIBERT. OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA.

nsncrnioennon m 0:? Lefibsm intont No. 518,768, dime creme co, ieee'.

' iigplioeiion filed iiovcmlm i, 18%. 4 flex-lei Ho. $89,740. (Ho tunnel.)

To ail whom ii concern;

B I t nnown that 1, Owen 3. Lemons, n citi- Sintcs, residing at Beihle 11cm, in the county of Northampton and State of Penneylvcnin, have invenred. certain new and useful Improvemcnie in Breech Mechnm i for Gunc'of "vvl iiontion, 7 v

My invention reinies to breech mechanisms for gene, one more periiculcrlgv to that class of breech mechsnism wherein the breechlclo-cls: or plug iS llillGGlZQd, withdrawn and swung; to one side of the breech by e continuousiy operating mechanism, eoii whereby the breech-block or plug is swung into position beforeilie breech, inseriezi therein and looked, nice vviili one continuous moiion of the mechemsm, and it has for ite object to improve the construction anti arrangement oi euch'breech moon-onions, whereby the breech-block or plug can be move quickly, easily and certainly opcrziied by means which are substantial in a cperniicngncl mechani- (rally sample of conslzrnciion, and to these ends my invention consists; in the various features of construction nni'i nrrnngeaneniof pnris adopted to operate in the manner hereinafter set forth.

Referring .to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1, is on cool view of a gun, with the breech closed ready for firing. Fig. 2, is e plan view of the canoe. Fig. 3, is n veriicnl, longiiuiiinal section of ihe some, Fig. 4, is no end view of the breech-block or plug. Fig. 5, is a. detail view showing the racks attached to the ping. Fig. 6, is n plan of the, some. Figs. 7 and 8 ere, respectively, side and plan views of e wheel adapted to be need with the neck; anal i1, is an. venlnrge detail. Fig. 10,-ie n pnriel sirie View showing the breech block withdrawn.

As before intimated, my invention relates more pnrticnicrly to breech mechanism for ordnance, although, of course, it may be applied io guns of various sizes and styies, and While itis common to provide some sort "of means for accomplishing the general purposes of my invention, and various mechanisms have been provided for iicing this, it is the objec' oi my invention to improve en oll these 538 21116 provide meoiiam overcome some of the diffiicb the following, is aspeciism which shall culties inherentto the usual constructions; Ii: is common to lock the breech-block or plug in the breech of the mechanism, by means of inierrupted screw-threads}, and I have shown niyinvention es applied to e gnn oi'such construction, in which, in order to remove the breech-choir, it is first necessary to nor-tinny rotnte the plug, anti ihen withdrew it longitncliunllj' from the breech. This bee heretofore been accomplished in various ways and by various meensfin some of which there has been a, torsion etmin upon the plug as it is withdrawn from the breech onto the tray for supporting it, and one of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a, mechanism which shallnvoid this isoroiun strain, and thereby facilitate the movement of the plug, end'the operation of the mechanism.

My invention further ccntemnlctes improvements in the means for shooting the plug and overcoming its adhesion with the breech, eepeciclly in connection with guns in which n 'ges-checlz-is need, and in which ii requiresc greater amount of force to start-the breechbloclr, and the greatest strain is exerted at that moment-,cnd while this and other ohjects are accomplished by the mechanism art, without departing from-the essentiel feniures of the invention, and parts of myinven lion may be used in combination with each other or with other equivalent devices,

In the breech A, of a, gun,of any desirable construction, is an opening with interrupted threads for the reception of open the removable breech-plug B, ere correspondingly interrupted threads, whereby the breech-plug may be inserted and secured by a partial rotation, as usual. At the rear of the breech n trey ccpiion of the plug, which. trayis suitably supported so that it, may be swung to one side with the plug, after the lettsris with- (lrcyrn from the breech onto the tray. As shown, the tray is supported by an arm s,extending from esleeve t, pivoted to the bracket D, as for instance, through the medium of a vertical shaft E passing through bearings in the bracket D, and rotated through the methe plug, and o 0, is provided for the re- 5 scenes diam of a worm wheel Eon the shaft, and a worm H upon a shaft H turning in hearings on a bracket H bolted to the breech; the said shaft Ii being revolved byanysuitablemeans. When revolved by hand, the shatt H is pro; vlded with a crank arm H Upon the tray (3, are parallel ribs or rails c, 0, adapted to longitudinal grooves 11, i), in the plug, which grooves are in a position to coincide with the rails when the plug is turned to position to disengage its threads from those of the breech, ready for removal, and the said grooves I), b, are of such length that the ends of the grooves will abut against the ends-of the rails when the plug is withdrawn to its full extent.

In order that the swinging tray (3 may be held fixedly in place to receive the plug, 1 provide it with a locking device of any suitable character, that will lock the tray in position against the breech, and in order that the plug may be expeditiously swung out of position opposite the breech when it is fully upon the tray,I provide means whereby when the plug reaches this position, the said locking device will bereleased. Different forms of locking devices arranged to effect these results may be employed. As shown, there is pivoted to the tray a lover of the first order C, having at one end a hook 0*, which when the tray is in position against the breech, engages a hook a upon the breech and locks the tray to the breech, a spring 0 tending to hold the parts in this position, while the projecting end or handle 0 of the lever permits the latter to be manipulated by hand. A lug c, with the inner corner beveled. extends upward from near the outerend of the lever G into position to be struck and depressed by the plug ii, as it arrives at its outer position upon the tray, so that the lever C is thereby tilted to disengage its looking end. Upon the lever O is another lug, c, which normally is below the upper face of the tray, but which when the plug is fully out and the outer end of the lever C is do pressed, is brought opposite a shoulder, not shown, on the plug and holds the latter in position upon the tray, preventing it from sliding forward when the parts are swung back into place to insert the plug.

In order to lock the lever C, with its inner end in an elevated position to hold the plug with certainty in place, I make use of a second locking device of a suitable character. For instance, a cross-bolt c", sliding in a slot az, extending transversely through the lever C, extends beyond one side of the lever in position to engage a shoulder c on a projcction of the tray, when the inner end of the lever C is elevated.

In order to automatically remove the bolt from the shoulder when the tray is swung inward, I provide the bolt with a rod 0 ex-- tending forward and projecting beyond the end of the lever, so as to make contact with the breech of the gun when the tray reaches its inner position, thereby forcing back the bolt and permitting the end of the lever to drop. A spring 0", normally throws the bolt inward. Any other suitable lock for locking the lever C may be substituted for that shown.

- In order to remove the plug, from the breech of the gun in the present construction, the plug has to be first turned or partially rotated in the breech to release the interlocking routilated screw-threads and then withdrawn longitudinally from the breech and my invention is directed more particularly to the means whereby these operations are accomplished and i make use of what I term a compound operating wheel which is arranged to engage suitable racks applied to 'or formed on the plug. The compound wheel is constructed so as to operate asaworm-wheel and as a spur gear or pinion, substantiallv as hereinafter described.

The plug is shown as provided with a segmental rack G, and with a longitudinal rack g by means of which the rotary and longitudinal movements of the plug may be accomplished, and the compound operating wheel is arranged to co-operate with both of these racks. The wheel may be made so that it can be turned one or more revolutions to the extent necessary to turn the plug as far as desired, acting in this respect solely as a worm wheel, and after the plug is turned to the necessary extent, the wheel will present spur or pinion teeth or faces of a. proper character and'arrangement to engage the teeth of the rack g and draw out the plug; or the wheel may be of such a size that a portion of the teeth engage the rack G to turn the plug, and another portion engage the rack g to draw out the" plug, depending upon the extent of rotation of the plug, and the pitch of the teeth of the wheel. To this end, the compound wheel E has practically two sets of teeth. Thai; is, it, has projections which may be of any suitable character and arrangement, with inclined faces c, that engage the inclined faces of the correspondingly inclined teeth v of the rack-G, and acting thereon as worm-threads to turn the plug in one direc tion or the other, and the projections on the wheel E have also vertical faces 6 which when the rack g is brought into line with the wheel engage the vertical faces uof the teeth of the rack g, acting as spur or pinion tooth. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the worm faces of the wheel are formed by providing said wheel with inclined or broken spiral projeotions correspoinling to sectional threads of a regular worm-wheel of proper character, the faces being of proper pitch to engage those of the teeth rot the rack G, while the spur or pinion faces are formed by cutting vertically thr'ugh the worm toetlnas shown, so that the upper and under sides of the projection on the periphery of the wheel E, have a proper pitch and angle to act as worm threads, and the vertical feces of the projections have the proper pitch and are properly spaced to constitute spur or pinion siefioe;

Yieeth end engage the faces oi the teeth of the -moioeuo ihai one of the verlicel or "pinion fifecce of the wheel E is brought against the firsi oi the vertical faces of the rack 9 when the wheel E will lJhGil at once begin to col: as a pinion to draw the rock and its plug longitudinally outward. If the periphery of,

the wheel E is greater than the length of the ruclcrg it is not necessary to sub-divide the worm throads-throughout thc whole extent of i the wheel.

--weekcuedin securing the feces by sub-dividing the While the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and ihe end desired, the teeth wheel E in. some cases,

and arrangement 2 are effective to would he too much vertical or piniou worm threads at close intervals, and 1, therefore, for this purgoose, prefer the construction oi wheei and rock illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, Tieud 8, in which the worm thread sections f, f, over-lop each other, as shown, each having upper had lower feces of proper pitch, but each terminating in a vertical endiface e, which acts es s sour or pinion face, and the ie'eth of ihe rock 9 hrs sub-divided instead ct being-continuous,

each tooth heving an inclined slot is across 192, adopted to receive a portion of one of the worm thread sections, so that the ends of said sections bear on the feces w of the soid' operates to aid in starting the plug and overteeih, while the intermediate portions of th said sections will enter ihe slots u.- By this moons the teeth of the wheel E may be made of o size to secure all the strength necessary for effective opereiion under all circuno ei'suces.

Greater strength may he ilnported to the ieeth of ihe-rack g by forming only side notches, iusiesd of continuing the groove u entirely across iiie tooth, leaving cu intermedisie weo, os shown at u Fig. 8, each of the worm thread sections being cut uwoy toform a vertical recess 'w (dotted lines Fig. 7) to receive ihe web c weaken the teeth of the wheel E. r

It will be seen that the hotioii iu withdrewing the plug and also in inserting it, is acouiinuons action, resuiiiug com. the revolution of the wheel E in each case continuously in one direction. olsce, the revolution of -the wheel E will first cause the teeth of the wheel to aches worm threads .to iurnthe rooliGeiidthe plnguntil thesis 9" is in contact with the face of the wheel, when the latter continuing its movement, will act; as e, spur or pinion upon the raciog to draw out the going, and when the latter is fully out, its contact with the lug b will till; the lever C' and unlock the tray from ihe breech, end the trey will then swing orouud carrying the plug from opposite the breech, the lever C being then looked in zworm' and turn the of the compound 7 and this will not materially I Thus, when the plug is in.

piece by the'bolt c. .When the movement of the wheel E is reversed, ihe plug being looked upon the iroy, cannot be moved thereon and therefore, the plug and troy will swing together until the tray is in cootachwith the breech, when the lock 0 will-be thrown back and the locking lever C will engege ihe'hook 'o', releasing the plug, which can then slide inward upon the ribs c. 0, under the piu-iouaction oi? the wheel E, until the plug is iu'liy in place, when the continued revolution of the wheel E will cause it to again hot as o plug until it' is seated in the breech.

It will-be observed that while the plug is being withdrawn longitudiuelly,.there is no torsional strain or tendency to rotuto the plug and it slides freely noon the ribs of the trey.

In order to overcome the adhesion of the plug, which is opt to occur uf-i-er firing, cope cieliy when a gas check is used as shown, and relieve the strain upon the teeth of the wheel E, I provide a projection or otortiug lug 0, which icerreoged-preferohly upon the side ot the wheel E in such a positiou he to en on extension or projection P of the curved rock G at the moment the plug reaches the proper position for ihe spur or piniou teeth to engage the rock to withdraw it froni'the breech. Thus it will'be seen, at this momeuhnot only does, the face of onem more of t teethe inipings upori the face iii-the ieetlrw of the rockend exert e pressure tending to withdrew the plug longitudinally, but the tooth 0 choicephages upon the face of the extension-P and coming its adhesion, so that the strain is divided between the teeth 2 end the prolongedtooth O. in this way I am enabled to exert the greater strain nccessury in starting the plug, without danger of injuring the teeth of the wheel, as the additio'ngii tooth O'furuishes is greater weering surface and takes a, part of the strain at the moment of stsrtiug the plug. leleim-us my in von tiou- 4 1. The combination,v with the breech and plug ofuguu, rack upon the plug, and e compound operasing wheel E provided with teeth having both of a curved rack and a straight worm feces engaging the curved rock and V spur or pinion faces engaging rock, substentielly as set forth. I

2. The combination with the breech and plug of a gun, of ocuwedrack and sstmight rack upon the plug, a componudv'wheel having teeth provided with worm faces adapted to the teeth of the curved rack, and spur or pinion faces adopted to theteeth of the straight i'ack-,.and a projection or stop upon the plug arrenged to makecontect with the face of the wheel when the plug is turned to bring the .str'aight rack in position to engage the teeth of the wheel substantially as set forth.

the straight.-

3. The combination with the breech and plug of a gun, of a swi-uging trey urrhnged to receive the plug, a-curved rack and a straight rack noon the p1ug,eud e-conioound wheel having teeth with faces adapted to engage the teeth of the curved rack, and other faces adapted to engage the teeth of the straight rack, substantially as set forth.

4:. The combination with the removable plug of a gun, of a curved rack and a straight rack, and a compound operating Wheel provided with worm teeth sections engaging said curved rack and arranged to over-lap each other, the said sections having faces at the ends adapted to the faces of the teeth of the straight rack, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the breech and plug of a gun, of a curved rack and a straight rack, and a plug-operating wheel having worm teeth sections over-lapping each other and with vertical end faces, the teeth of the straight rack having recesses adapted to receive portions of the said worm thread sections, substantially as set forth.

meme

ranged to engage a projection on the 1M suly slantiaily as described.

7. The QOlDlJlDELlLlOD WlLlI the hreeeh i plug of a gun, of a curved. and. s'treig. upon the plug, a coinponnd wheel I worm and spur eeth to engage the r 0 ive racks and. provided with a prej ,etion or prolonged tooth to engegea projeetion on t e rack, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereot I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

Jenn YE. MEZGS, JAMES H. HAYDEN. 

